Automatic feed-controlling mechanism for printing-machines.



F. Hv QUADE, JA. AUTOMATIC FEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I5. I91!- Patented June 11, 1918.

B SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. H. QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC FEED CONIROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY I5, I91].

1,269,305., Patented June 11, 1918.

6 SHEETS SHEET 2- F. H, QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC FEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES..

APPLICATION FILED MAYIS. I91].

Patented June 11, 1918.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3- F. H. QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC FEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. I9Ii- 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4- S v N Patented June 11, 1918.

F. H QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC FEED CONFROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY l5| 191E.

Patented June 11, 1918.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5- F. H. QUADE, JR. AUTOMATIC FEED CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I5, 1917- Patented June 11, 1918.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

MIIIIA FRANK H. QUADE, JR, 0F FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTUMATIC FEED-C(INTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that FRANK Fresno, in the county-of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in vAutomatic Feed- Controlling Mechanism for .Printing-Machines, tion. This invention relates to; printing machinery and has specialreference to that of Whichthe following is a specificatype of printing machines in which letters or circulars have portions 'printed through rlbbons so'as to attain the effect of typewritten matter.

- present invention is to provide simple means whereby the feeding of-vth'e paper to the printin mechanism may be automatically controlled so that the impression rollers orroller will not be lowered to the type bed unless a' sheet of paper is in proper position.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby theengagement of the paper and the feedinglof the same through the printing mechanism ;may,be accurately timed, and a still further objectof the invention is to provide improved ,means for restraining the paper* against premature movement to the printing roller or platen.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the ribbon will be pro vented from feeding until after the end of a stroke of the type bed. Other'objects of'the invention will-appear as the description of the same proceeds andthe invention resides incertainnovel features Which will be particularly pointed out in the claims following the detailed description. r I The invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which-'- Figure .1 is a perspective View [of so much of a printing machine" as is necessary to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 15, 1317. seriain'o. reams.

l-I. QUADE, Jr., a citlzen of the United States, residing at v The primary object of the Patented Jane ii, rats.

Fig. 5-is a detail View for, the upperfeed roller;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the controlling mechanism;.

the controlling mechanism; 7

.Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the parts in a difl'erent position;

Fig. 9 is a detail bottom plan View; Fig. 10 is a detail view of the feeler. The main frame 1 may be of any conven ient or preferred construction and the type bed 2 is mounted to reciprocate longitudi nally upon the frame. A main driving or oscillatory lever 3 is provided below the type bed and is connected therewith to actuate the same, the said lever being vibrated through any convenient form of gearing,

which is not illustrated. A rock shaft. 4 is mounted upon the mainframe at one end' thereof,' and is provided intermediateits ends with a crank 5 which is connected by a link 6 with the main lever '3, as shown. Upon one end of this rock shaft is a crank 7 to the upper end of which is pivoted one end of a connecting bar 8 disposed longitudinallyof the frame aoljacent the side of the same.

feed rollers 10 and 11 are mounted between the 'sideplates '12. and 13 which are supported on the side'members of the mam frame 1. y The plate 12. is provided at its lower edge with eyes 14 through'which and similar eyes on the mainframe a pin 15 is inserted to hingedly connect the said "side plate with the main frame. The side plate 13 rests upon the upper edge of the side member ofthe mainv frame and carries a dowel. pin 16 which is adapted to enter a suitable recess in the upper edge of the main frame and thereby roperly position- Fig. 7 is adetail elevation of a portion of The platen or impression roller 9 and the 1 illustrate thepresent improvements; the side plate thereon. 'l 'e saidside plate Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through is further provided with threaded sockets the platen, the paper-feeding rollers, and 17 in its lower edge which may be engaged the cooperating parts arranged toprevent by the upper threaded, ends .of screws 18 the passage of paper to the printing mechfitted in the side member of the main frame Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts arranged to permit feeding ofthe paper; 'Fig. A is a detail view showing themannor of supporting onesideof the frame in which the rollers are mounted;

in position to engage said sockets, as clearly 'shown in Fig. 4. Intermediate their ends,

of a tension device be held in properposition to engage the sockets and will be limited in their movement and prevented from dropping when released from the sockets. This method of mounting the said feeding-and pr'esser roll- ,ers upon the main frame facilitates access to the type bed when it is necessary to make an quick changes in the formr The platen or impression roller 9 is hollowand has an eccentric 21 extending longitudinally through it, the. said eccentric bewhich is engaged by a rack as will bepresently set forth, so that turning of the eccentric may be effected to raise or lower'the impression roller. At the opposite side ofthe machine, the. impression roller is equipped with a gear 25 adapted to mesh with a rack 26 on the type bed so that reciprocation of the type-bed will cause rotation of the roller and a consequent feeding of paper through the machine. Betweenv the impression roller and the rear ends of the side plates 12 and 13, a. rod or shaft 27 is ,mounted in said plates and upon one end of this rod is mounted a pinion 28 which meshes with the pin ion 25 on the impression roller and also with a pinion 29 on the upper feed roller. The said feed roller is carried by the bearin'gs30 on the projecting arms 32 of a U- shaped frame or bail 33 which is pivotally T or rockingly mounted upon the. rod 27. It

will be readily understood that ifthe bail or frame 33 be tilted forwardly upon the rod 27, the upper feed roller will be raised so that it will clear a sheet of paper placed upon the feedingtable or plate, as shown in Figs 2', whereas, if the frame be tilted rearwardly, the feed roller will be lowered so as to hold the sheet of aper to the lower feed roller. The end of t e shaft 34, which carries the upper feed roller, remote from the pinion29, extends through an opening 35 in .the side plate 13 andcarries a roller 36, the function of which will presently appear.

The tension or pressure exerted by the upper feed roller' on the lower feed roller may be regulated by a screw 37 mounted in a bracket 38 secured upon the upper edge'of the side plate 13' and a spring 39 fitted to the lower end of the said screw 37 and bearing upon 'a 4 supporting plate'or arm 40-whieh forms a part of the bail 33' and passes around the shaft '34 so as to support the same. The

lower feed roller 11 1s mounted at its ends Jam nuts 23- I messes directly in the side plates 12 and 13 and extends between the'same, and the said roller ispreferablyprovided with a continuous or uninterrupted surface whereas" the upper I feed roller is preferably formed of a plurality of sleeves upon the shaft 34' and spaced from each other at their ends. An

inclined table or feed plate 41. is disposed between the side lates 12 and 13 and is carried by a rod or ar 42 secured in said plates. This feed plate or table 41 is inclined, as

clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and extends a. close to the lower feed roller 11. In advance of the lower feed roller and between the same and the impression roller is a feed plate 43 which extends from a point close 86 vto the feed roller downwardly to a point adv jacent the impression roller where its edge 7 is engaged by a series of guiding supports which extend under the impression roller and then upwardly in front of the same so that the paper. caused to travel over the said supports will be carried to a point where it may receive an impression from the type and then carried upwardly so, as to be stripped fromthe type and delivered ata proper point. The feed plate 43 is constructed with a plurality of openings 44 through which stop fingers 45 may project to arrest the movement of the sheet of paper and hold'the same against movement until the proper time in the operation of the machine. These stop fingers 45 may be formed at the forward edge of a plate 46 extending between the side plates 12 and 13 and formed.

at itsends with arms 47 which are pivotally or loosely mounted upon the ends of the lower-feed roller 11 or the shaft carrying said roller. A spring or springs 48 secured to the side plates 12 and 13 and bearing up- :wardly against the plate 46 tends tohold the stop fingers projected through the openings 44, as shown in Fig. 2. When the upper feed roller, however, is lowered, pusher-s 49 carried by the bearings 30 or the bail 33 will depress the plate 46 against the tension of the spring 48 and thereby move the stop fingers out 'of' the openings 44, as shown in Fig. 3, permitting the paper to pass. The presser' or guiding fingers 50 are hung upon the cross bar 51 and extend downwardly and forwardly therefrom so as to pass through the spaces between the sleeves of I the upper feed roller and rest upon the feed plate 43. These presser fingers operate by gravity and yield readily to a sheet when the same is properly inserted and by hearing upon the sheet serve to hold the same evenly upon the feed plate and thereby cause it to pass properly to the impression'roller.

The shaft 34 carrying the upper feed roller has a fixedbearing in the arm or su port 40 but at the opposite side of the machine is carried by the usual eccentric (not shown) I ment 62 will clear the roller 36 and permit the upper feed roller to drop may be de-' ternuned and I actuating plate'is constructed with an arm clearly in Fig. 1. bearings 56 in which is mounted a,.worm 57 equlpped with a milled head 58 to facilitate the bearing plate of the gage pointer or.

so that it may be adjusted to compensate for irregularity in the lower feed roller and bring opposed surfaces of the twofeed rollers into exact parallelismat all times and thereby avoid paper being fed through the machine'crookedly. A set screw 31 in the arm 32 holds the eccentric in the position in which it may be set and thereby maintains the adjustment of the feed roller. i Upon the side of the main frame,.,below -13, is a' stubshaft 52on which is loosely mounted the :actuating plate 53, anda gage or adjusting plate 54 at the outer side of the actuating plate which.

may be held against moving ofi the stub shaft 52 by any well known means. The

55 which extends'below the stub shaft 52 and has its-lower extremity pivoted to-the rear end of the connecting rod- 8, as. shown Upon thesaid arm are its manipulation; This worm 57 meshes with the worm teeth 59 .on the lower edge late 54 so that by rotating the worm, the re ative positions of the actuating plate and the gageplate may be varied, a

lndex finger 60 on the arm 55 extending over theedge of the gage plate so as to ooeperate'with a scale 61 thereon.

Theed co stub shaft 52 between and the frame.

ge of the gage plate .is concentric with the haft 5 2 but at the upper part of the plate 1s a. segmental extension 62 which at times Wlll ride under the roller 36 and thereby lift-the shaft 34 and the upper feed roller so that the paper will not be fedto' the printing plate, the instant when the end of the segwith the shaft 52 and the plate being constructed with projections 63 and 64 at the ends of the base These projections are adapted to alternately engage a lug 65 on .the outer face of a controlling plate 66 which .is also loosely mounted upon the This controlling plate 66 is constructed with an. arcuate edge portion .67 Which= .is describedon a radius equal to extends radially outward mechanism and it is obvious; that by varying the adjustment of the gage op osite the screw from comingceding-of the actuating plate the radius upon which the outer edge of the segment 62 1s struck so that the roller 36 may at times ride without interruption upon the said edges62 and 67. The edgeof the controllin plate is beveled, atone end of the are 6?, as shown at 68, so' as to easily engage the roller 36 in the device and'at the opposite end of the are 67 is a shoulder 69 from which extends an arcuate edge 70 of greater radius than the edge 67. The projection 64 of the actuating plate 7.1 has the same radius as the arcuate edge/7O of the controlling plate, a beveled end 72 providing for an-easy engagement with the part actuated thereby. The controlling plate is provided on its inner face with an arcuate shoulder 7 3 and a segmental rack 74 is fitted upon the said shoulder and, held thereto by a keeper 75 secured to the plate and extending over the rack, as shown clearly in Fig. 7. This rack is provided at one end witha downwardly or inwardly extending plate or bracket 76 carryin a swiveled block 77 in which is mounte an adjusting screw '78, the innerend of the screw being reduced in diameter and having threads of a finerscale formed thereon, as shown at 79.. This inner reduced end of the screw engages a block or post 80 whic h is swiveled upon the controlling plate 66 as shown most clearly in-Fig. .7. By turning the screw 78,

the rack 74 will be adjusted about the stub shaft. 52. and, consequently, the extent to which the pinion 24 will be rotated may be varied. As the rotation of said pinion con.-

, trols the adjustment of the eccentric mounting of the platen or impression roller, it is operation of the and its extremity obvious that the position of the rack 74 will determine whether the copy printed'will be light or heavy. -A pin or other stop 81 upon the rack, by engaging against the bracket 75, will that it will fail to operatively engage the pinion 24 and also prevents the adjusting out-of its bearings.

Upon the main frame, in rear of but adlimit the adjustment of the rack so' that it can not be moved to such a point jacent the.- actuatingand controlling plates,

T mount the dog or looking lever 82 which has its lower end disposed slightly below the edge of the side member of the main frame and its upper end in position to engage or be engaged by the actuating plate and controlling plate. A spring 83 is disposed be tween the dog and the main frame and acts to move the upper end of the dog normally toward the actuating and controlling plates.

' The upper end of the dog is enlarged so as to provide-the curved edge 84 having a radial shoulder 85 and also provide the overhanging shoulder or hook 86, the end edgeof said hook being adapted to ride upon the edge 70 of the controlling plate. A roller 87 is provided upon the lever immediately the upper end of the locking lever thereby releasing the lever from the shoulder 69 so that the projection 64, by engaging the lug 65, may move the controlling plate as shown in Fig 8. In this position, the upper feed roller will be lifted by engagement of the roller 36 with theedges 68 and 67 of the controlling plate. At the same time, the rack 74 will have rotated the pinion 24 so that the eccentric 21 will be turned to raise h the impression roller.

The bracket 38 is of such form that it presents bearings 88 at its ends in which is journaled a rock shaft 89 and at the inner end of said bracket are guides 90 for a slidable pin or feeler 91. This pinor feeler 91 is constructed with a lateral projection 92 engaged by the forked end of a crank 93 on the inner end of the rock shaft 89 and'upon the outer endof said rock shaft is a'crank 94 carrying a pin 95 at its lower end which is engaged by the notched extremity 96 of a cam plate 97. This cam plate 97 is of peculiar form having a curved lower edge 98, which is adapted to ride upon a pin 99 car'- .ried by the controlling plate 66, and extending rearwardly from the cam plate is a finger 100 adapted to engage the shoulder 85 upon the dog or looking lever 82. It will be understood that on the forward movement of the controlling plate the pin 99 will ride under the lower curved edge of the cam and rock the same, theresult being to raise -the feeler 91 out of the way of paper which is being inserted.

The lower end of the lever 82 is provided with an inwardly extending projection 101 disposed beneath the side .member of the main frame and carrying an upstanding pin 102. A lever or vibratory bar 103 is pivoted, as at 104,011 the underside of the frame member and the rear extremity of the said lever or bar is formed into a yoke or fork, the outer member 105 of which is disposed over the inwardly extending projection 101. The inner wall or edge of the said member 105 is provided with a wedge-shaped tooth 106 which is adapted to ride upon or across the pin 102 and is held to the said pin by a spring 107 secured to the frame and the said member 105. The lever or bar 103 is also provided with a transverse slot 108 ;main frame.

buffer mechanism which eliminates the me-' tallic sound that otherwise would be heard 1 bolts or screws 111 are carried by the for-- ward end of the bar or lever and pass through a longitudinal slot 110 in a stop 'plate 112 so that the stop plate is held to but may slide on thebar. This stop plate has an upstanding lug 113 on its inner edge which is adapted to engage the depending trip 114 forming the actuating element of the ribbon feeding mechanism. A spring 115 having"- its ends secured respectively to the bar 103 and the plate 112 serves to draw thestop plate rearwardly to the extent permitted by the engagement of one of the bolts or .pins 111 with the end of the slot 110. The members 113 and 114 will be held in engagement until the machine completes its stroke and the stop lever 82 cannot be released so soon that the projection 113 will not be engaged by the trip 114;

A spring 116 is secured at its front end to the main frame and has its rear end conling plate 66 is a block or housing 117 in which is mounted a spring-pressed plunger 118 adaptedto engage a stop pin 119 on the These elements constitute a nected with the controlling plate so that it tends to hold the said plate at the forwardlimit of its movement. Upon the controlwhen the mechanism comes to rest in its norv mal position. y Y

It is thought the operation of the mechanism will be readily understood. The sheets of paper are fed into the machine in the usual manner and will rest upon the feed plates 41 and 44 and against the stop fingers 45, as will be readily understood. If the paper is properly "in place when the printing movementof the machine starts,

the feeler 91 will be held raised bythe paper and, consequently, the crank 94 will be lowered and the cam plate 97 swung about its pivot so that the finger 100 will clear the shoulder 85 ofthe locking leveror dog'82 and permit the dog to drop into engagement with the controlling plate. The upper feed roller 10 and the impression roller 9 will be then in their lowered positionsso that the paper may .be fed forward and printed. If,

however, the paper should not be properly inserted, the feeler will drop through an opening in the plate 43, preferably one of the openings -44, and will, therefore, rock the shaft. 89 so that the, crank 94 will be swung re'arwardly and the cam plate 97 thereby swung upon its pivot so that the finger 100 will be brought into a position to be engaged by the shoulder 85 and the lever or dog '82 will be thereby held out of engagement with the controlling plate. The

controlling plate will then be. drawn fortangent with the controlling plate its lower end is of the in such position that the pin .or roller 102 is point of the tooth 106, and the spring 16'? then rocks the bar 103 so that the projection 113 is carried outof the path of the trip 114, but when the lever engages the controlling plate the parts will operate as described and as shown in Fig. 9. The ribbon feeding, mechanism consequently will operate only when'a sheet of paper goes through the machine.

f the paper has been'properly inserted and a printing stroke is to be made, the gage plate 54 and theactuating plate'53 will be moved forwardly simultaneously with the type-bed, the roller 36 riding upon the edge gage plate and the controlling plate being ver 82. At the proper point of the movementot the type-bed, the end of the segment 62 will clear the roller 36 whereupon said roller will drop so that the upper feed roller will descend into engagement with the paper and will at once cause the paper to move forward. The controlling plate will remain at restuntil the continued movement ofthe actuating plate 53 brings the projection 64 into engagement with the lug 65, at'which time the edge 72 of the actuating plate will engage the roller 87 and release the locking lever ,82, whereupon the controlling plate will move forward under the influence of the spring 116, the. movement of the controlling plate causing-the impression roller to be raised by reason of the rack 74 acting upon the plnion 24 to rotate the eccentric 21 to the lifting position. Simultaneously with this movement, the edge 67 ofthe control-- ling plate will ride under the roller 36 and lift the upper feed roller'so as to restore the parts to a position which will admit a second sheet of paper, As the projection 64 of the actuating plate engages the lug 65 on the controlling plate 3 the roller 87 and thefedge 71 will engage release the dog or looking level: 82. The ribbon-feeding mechanism may then operate and it" will be understood that this described action of the plates does notoccur until; the type bed is just about to end. its printing stroke. Upon the return movement of the type-bed, the controlling plate will beheld at rest by the spring 116 until the projection 63 of the actuating plate engages-the lug 65, whereuponthe pinion 24 will-be rotated in the. proper direction to lower the impression roller but the feed roller will be heldraised by reason of the segment 62 passing under the roller 36. The parts will thus be in position to permit the insertion of a sheet to be printed so that if the paper be properlyinserted and resting held at rest by'the dog or locking leagainst the stopflfinger 45, the printing operation may be repeated. When the upper.

engagement with f feed roller is lowered into the paper, thepushers 49 are moved downs Wardly by the bail 33 in which said roller is' mounted and the stop fingers thereby pushed out of the shown in Fig. v3. When the feed roller is again raised, the springs 48 project the stop fingers through the openings 44 so that they will extend across the path of the paper, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a printing machine, the combination of feeding mechanism, means for controllingthe feeding mechanism including a controlling plate and a locking lever arranged to at times hold said plate against movement, a feeler disposed adjacent the feeding mechanism, a cam operatively connected with the feeler and disposed adjacent said controlling plate arranged to ride against said: cam, and interengaging means on said cam and locking lever. I 2. In a printing machine having a paperfeeding roller, and a ribbon feeding mechanism, the combination with said roller and said mechanism, of a stop plate movable into and out of engagement with the ribbon, feeding mechanism, a controlling plate for. raising the paper-feeding roller, a locking lever arranged to normally hold the stop plate in operative position and hold the controlling plate in inoperative position, means for shiftlng said lever from its hormal position, a feeler disposed adjacent the paperfeeding roller, and means connected with said feeler-for of normal position.

3. In a printing machine, the combination of a feedroller, an impression roller, a con trolling plate arranged to act on said rollers wherebythey will be raised or lowered, anactuating plate movable pa'stthe controlling plate, means whereby during a part of its movement the actuating-plate will move the controllin plate, a gage plate movable with holding the locking lever outpath of the paper, as clearly controlling plate and said lever, a pin on the of a feed roller, a controlling plate adapted to raise said roller, means acting constantly rat on said plate to move it forward, a dog arranged to hold said plate against forward movement, and an'actuating plate arranged to release said dog from said controlling plate, said actuatin plate being constructed to move the control ing plate rearward.

5. In a printing machinehaving a paper- ,feeding roller, feed controlling mechanism 3 comprising a controlling plate constructed to at times engage and raise the feeding with the controlling plate and arranged to release said holding means and constructed to at times engage the controlling plate and move it rearward, a gage plate mounted concentrically with the actuating plate and movable with the same and constructed to hold the feed roller raised during a portion of its movement, and means for adjusting the gage plate annularly.

6. In aprintingmachine having a paperfeeding roller, feed-controlling mechanism i arm of the actuating *said plate tending constantly to move it p forward, means for holding saidplate comprising a controllin platehaving. an edge portion adapted to rlde under and raise the paper-feeding roller, means connected with and acting on said plate to move the same into engagement with the paper-feeding roller, a lateral projection on said controlling plate adjacent its roller-engaging edge portion, means for holding said controlling plate against forward movement, an actuating plate mounted concentrically with the controlling plate and provided at its opposite ends w1th radial arms-adapted to enpage the lateral ing plate where y during the rearward movement of the. actuating plate it will move the controlling p ate being constructed to release the means for holdlng the controlling plate against movement.

7. In a printing machine havinga pap erfeeding roller, feed-controlling mechanism comprising a controlling plate having an edge ortion constructed to engage and raise the fgeding roller, means connected with against forward movement, an actuating plate mounted concentrically with the con trolling plate and constructed at its rear edge to release the means for holding said controlling plate, means whereby the actuating plate will move the controlling plate rearwardly, and a gage late movable with the actuating plate and aving an edge ortion adapted to ride under the paper feeding roller and hold the same raised.

roller and lift the same, a locking lever con- I structed tov engage the said radial shoulder and ride on the peripheral edge portion of the controlling dplate in rear of said shoulder, meansten ing constantly to move the rojection on the controls plate, the rear radial controlling plate forwardl an actuating plate mounted concentrical y with the controlling plate and provided at its rear end with a peripheral edge portion adapted to release the locking lever from the controlling plate, means whereby the actuating plate will movethe controllin plate. rearwardly, and a gage plate mova le with the actuating plate and having a peripheral edge portion adapted to ride under thepaper-feeding roller and hold the same raised.

9. Ina printing machine, the combination of feeding mechanism, means for controlling and actuating the feeding mechanism including a controlling plate provided with a shoulder, a locking lever adapted to engage said shoulder, a feeler disposed adjacent the feeding mechanism, a cam plate operatively connected with said feeler, and a projection on the said cam plate adapted to engage the said locking lever.

10. In an apparatus forth, the combination of a feed roller, an impression roller, a controlling plate adapted to raise or lower said rollers, an actuating plate movable past the controlling plate and constructed during a part of its movefor the purpose .set X ment to move the controlling plate, and a elevated.

11.,In'an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a controlling plate,

a lateral projection thereon, an actuating plate movable past theontrolling plate and provided at its opposite edges'with proections adapted to alternately engage the projection on the controlling plate and thereby move the controlling plate, and a gage plate carried bythe, actuatinglplate.

13. In an apparatus for t epurpose set forth, the combination of an actuating plate having a radial arm, a worm mounted in bearings on said arm, an indicator extending from one of said bearings, a gage plate mounted loosely concentrically with the actuating plate, and a worm formed on the edge of said gage plate meshing with the first-mentioned worm. I

14. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a main locking lever mounted on the side of said frame, feeding mechanism, means for com frame, a

trolling the feeding mechanism arranged to actuate said lever, an oscillatory bar mounted upon the main frame, a stop on said bar projecting upwardly therefrom, a trip adapted to impinge against the said stop, and means whereby upon movement of the lever the bar will be vibrated to remove the said stop from the path of the said trip.

15. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination with a main frame,

of an oscillatory bar mounted thereon and having an offset at one end provided with an lnwardly extending tapered tooth. a trip upon the main frame, a stop yieldably mount-ed upon the oscillatory bar and normally in the path of said trip; a lever on the frame having a pin arranged to ride on the said tapered tooth. and feeding mechanism on the, frame including means for actuating said lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK H. QUADE, JR. [L. s.] 

